Cathy Sheehan

Attracting and retaining talent: exploring human resources development trends in Australia

Abstract Drawing from the resource based view of the firm (RBV) the argument developed in the paper is that in an environment characterized by increasing levels of skilled labour shortages organisations need to design employment systems that prioritize human resource development to enable competitive advantage. The literature review examines the issues associated with the attraction, retention and development of human resources, and the major contextual issues and debates underpinning skill and labour shortages. A research question is then framed to capture the HR priorities of Australian organisations. We examine responses from 1372 Australian human resources (HR) professionals who participated in an online survey of a national HR professional association and results are interpreted with respect to HR efforts to attract, develop and retain talent. Our findings suggest that employers are addressing issues related to attraction - recruitment and selection. However, in critical HR development areas associated with retention such as training, job design, skill development, careers management and team building, results indicate a lower level of resource allocation. We conclude that this lack of resource allocation is of concern for Australian organisations that are struggling to compete both domestically and internationally for skilled workers.

A model for HRM strategic integration

Purpose – The broad aims of this research are to analyse the status of, and processes underlying, strategic human resource management (HRM) integration within organisations and to contribute to theory development in the area. A great deal of attention is given in the literature to the facilitative role that HRM can take in organisational change but as yet little attention has been given to modelling the change processes within HRM itself. This paper addresses that gap by providing a model of the proposed influences on the move towards strategic HRM integration.Design/methodology/approach – In‐depth interviews with senior HR, finance and line managers in 13 Australian Best Practice companies are used to explore the supports and barriers underlying strategic HRM integration.Findings – The model that is developed uses ideas from the change literature to explain that the engagement of strategic HRM integration requires a certain set of symbolic and ritualistic gestures. These symbolic changes, however, do not...

Current developments in HRM in Australian organisations

The aim of this paper is to report on current developments in the area of human resource management (HRM) in Australia. The study analyses 1372 on-line responses to a survey of Australian Human Res...

International talent flow and intention to repatriate: An identity explanation

Using a sample of 563 Australian professionals currently working overseas, we investigate the relationships between intention to repatriate and national identity, demographic variables, quality of life, career advancement, personal networks, social context, and situational characteristics. Our findings show that national identity, length of time already spent overseas, quality of life available in the home country, employment in a multinational enterprise (MNE) and expatriate location were predictive of intention to repatriate to Australia. This research has implications for individuals, employers and government policy with regard to the management of talent flows of skilled workers.

HRM outsourcing: the impact of organisational size and HRM strategic involvement

Purpose – The aims of this paper are, first, to consider the impact of organisational size and the strategic involvement of the human resource management (HRM) function on the decision to outsource, second, to consider the impact of HRM outsourcing on organisational performance for organisations of different size and where the HRM function has access to positions of elevated political power.Design/methodology/approach – The research examines responses from 441 Australian senior HRM managers who participated in an online survey of a national HRM professional association. The hypotheses were tested using multiple regression.Findings – Although results did not confirm the expected relationship between smaller organisational size and increased outsourcing, there was a positive relationship between HRM strategic involvement and the decision to outsource. The relationship between HRM outsourcing and perceived financial performance was positive for smaller firms and negative for larger firms. The positive relati...

Exploring the power dimensions of the human resource function

While a large body of literature has investigated the content of human resource management (HRM) practices, this research explores the process through which the HRM function impacts on organisational performance. Specifically, the research explores the reasons for the success or failure of HRM initiatives that have been associated with organisational outcomes and classifies the reasons as dimensions of HRM power. Based on 26 interviews conducted in Australia with senior HRM executives, top management team (TMT) executives and two management consultants, we found that, in order to contribute to organisational performance, HRM professionals can effectively utilise three dimensions of power, namely power of resources, power of processes and power of meaning. The findings offer new insights to the relationship between dimensions of HRM power and organisational performance.

Outsourcing HRM activities in Australian organisations

Although human resource management (HRM) outsourcing is an international trend little has been written in the Australian literature about HRM outsourcing choices. The aims of the research are to determine first which HRM areas are most likely in Australia to be initiated using external consultants, second whether organisational size or sector impacts on the outsourcing decision and third the type of skills that HRM consultants bring into organisations. Results from an on-line survey generating 1372 responses identify training and development, recruitment and selection, and HRIS as the primary outsourced HRM areas. With respect to organisational determinants, larger organisations were more likely to use consultants; sector differences revealed higher recruitment and selection and performance-related pay outsourcing in the private sector, higher HRIS outsourcing in the public sector, and a focus on employee relations in the not-for-profit sector. There are no differences in the qualifications of HRM professionals and consultants but consultants are more likely to have broader business experiences.

The Strategic Role of HR Managers in Australian Organisations: Cues from Organisational Recruitment Sources

ABSTRACT This study has used a longitudinal, quantitative design to explore the expected increase in the reference to human resource management (HRM) strategic planning roles in Australian organisations between 1993 and 2004. The research also examined which of the organisational characteristics of ownership, sector and size best predicts strategic planning roles for HR managers in 2003-04. Data was collected from the content analysis of 315 job advertisements for senior Human Resources (HR) managers published in national newspapers and on the Internet. Results established a longitudinal increase in references to strategic HR roles and established that internationally-owned, larger, and public sector organisations placed greater emphasis on promoting strategic roles for HR managers. The strongest predictor of a strategic planning role however was the sector in which the organisation was placed. Specifically, in the public sector HR managers at the most senior level were given the same strategic role as counterparts in the private sector but HR managers at the next level down were significantly less likely than HR managers at the same level in the private sector to be given strategic roles. These findings have implications for the training and development opportunities for HR managers working in the public sector. INTRODUCTION Within the Australasian area, empirical evidence indicates that a closer relationship between human resource management (HRM) and organisational strategy is beginning to occur (Cleland et al. 2000; Fisher et al. 1999; Khatri & Budhwar 2002; Michelson & Kramar 2003; Teo 2002). The complete integration and acceptance of a strategic role for HRM is, however, still to be realized. Michelson & Kramar (2003), in a review of the literature and research into evidence of SHRM in Australian companies, suggest that the integration of HRM and corporate strategy is uneven. Specifically these authors note that although strategic integration is apparent in some organisations, there is a lack of consistency across organisations from different sectors and according to organisational ownership and size. The research that has tried to measure the extent of strategic HRM integration in Australian organisations has largely relied on either survey questionnaires, in-depth interviews or a mixture of both (Cleland et al. 2000; Fisher et al. 1999; Teo 2002). Such methods of eliciting answers potentially create problems of objectivity as results are largely based on the perceptions of individual respondents. Furthermore, the respondents are usually Human Resources (HR) professionals and infrequently include the perspectives of other stakeholders such as CEOs or finance and line managers (Fisher et al. 1999; Michelson & Kramar 2003). In an attempt to reduce the subjectivity associated with these interview and survey responses, the current study measures organisational commitment to strategic HRM by analysing the content of the wording used in job advertisements for senior HR professionals. Job advertisements seek to attract suitable applicants by providing a description of what organisations actually expect from an applicant and the competencies deemed essential for the position. A content analysis of these advertisements does not involve any interplay between interviewers and interviewees or individual interpretation of survey questions. Advertisements are designed to specify job requirements as clearly as possible in order to attract the right candidate and as such may act as a more valid indicator of organisational expectations of the roles for job applicants (Cascio 1998; Gray 1999; Todd et al. 1995). In summary, the aim of the present study is to measure the strategic role of HR managers using cues from organisational recruitment sources. The study uses a longitudinal, quantitative research design to explore the expected increase in reference to HR strategic planning roles between 1993 and 2004 through an analysis of job advertisements aimed at HR professionals in leadership roles. …

An investigation of paradigm choice in Australian international human resource management research

This paper addresses the question of whether Australian international human resource management (IHRM) research is dominated by either a universalist or contextualist paradigm. Using a systematic review approach, 82 peer reviewed papers were analysed using a basic extraction tool to record publication and research design details. The universalist/contextualist distinction decision was based on the point at which theory became evident in each publication. Results indicated an almost even split in the universalist/contextualist paradigm choice suggesting a balanced rather than dominant research preference. This finding may reflect the impact of both European and North American influences in Australian IHRM research. A second finding is a high level of papers without proposed theoretical relationships: this second finding has a number of ramifications for IHRM research and practice in Australia.

Leading and lagging indicators of occupational health and safety: The moderating role of safety leadership.

In response to the call for empirical evidence of a connection between leading and lagging indicators of occupational health and safety (OHS), the first aim of the current research is to consider the association between leading and lagging indicators of OHS. Our second aim is to investigate the moderating effect of safety leadership on the association between leading and lagging indicators. Data were collected from 3578 employees nested within 66 workplaces. Multi-level modelling was used to test the two hypotheses. The results confirm an association between leading and lagging indicators of OHS as well as the moderating impact of middle management safety leadership on the direct association. The association between leading and lagging indicators provides OHS practitioners with useful information to substantiate efforts within organisations to move away from a traditional focus on lagging indicators towards a preventative focus on leading indicators. The research also highlights the important role played by middle managers and the value of OHS leadership development and investment at the middle management level.